A lot of folks over the last 40 years have complained about the bold graphics that became a hallmark of the supercar era – now more commonly known as the musclecar era. Every musclecar builder did it, from Ford to AMC, but the most prolific and perhaps the boldest graphics came out of Auburn Hills and the Mopar camp. Billboard graphics, eyeball-searing paint and cartoon characters made Mopar musclecars the most colorful on the street.

I think they’re great. A lot better than the dull silvers and maroons you see on most cars on the road today. But the aesthetic I can’t get enough of came from the factory on Dodge’s Super Bee and Plymouth’s Road Runner when equipped with the A12 Six-Pack/Six-Barrel 440-cu.in. V-8 engine. The blacked-out lift-off hood, combined with the gloss black steel wheels and bright chrome lugnuts, while not as overstated as the rest of Mopar’s hypercaffienated design department’s products, simply gets the message across: Don’t mess with Texas.

I’ve shot A12 cars before, and it’s hard to make them not look great in photos, but while reviewing my shots, I always wanted to distill that aesthetic in one uncluttered shot, and finally had the chance at one of our Musclepalooza events when I spotted this A12 in the staging lanes. One decal, the curve of the hoodscoop and one hoodpin. Simple. Powerful. Perfect. And it makes one heck of a wallpaper.

One Response to “Friday wallpaper – Road Runner A12 hood”

The truth be known, anyone who was young, hip, and into cars during those days, (Muscle Car Era late 60′s, early 70′s) would know have a better understanding of exactly how that specific originated. It was a combination of multiple sources but the most influential of then all was a very popular TV show called “Rowan and Martin’s, The Laugh In”). That show originated the catch phrase. “Here come de judge” which became so popular Pontiac used it on the popular “The Judge” and the same style font. Along with the very popular psychedelic style of witting with bold letters also made popular during the 60′s as well as The Laugh In, came the same style of logos found on many muscle cars.

Click on the following web site and you will notice signs using the same fonts and if you look closely at bikini clad Goldie Hawn photos you will often see muscle car logos on her as well.